Jurrjens honored as September's best

Braves right-hander named NL Pitcher of the Month

By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

PHILADELPHIA -- Jair Jurrjens fell short of his goal to notch a 15-win season. But the strong finish to his impressive season gave the Braves' pitcher the satisfaction of being named the National League's Pitcher of the Month for September.

"It's always nice to be recognized for the hard work that you put in," Jurrjens said.

In five starts last month, Jurrjens was 4-1 with a 1.25 ERA over 36 innings. He notched 21 strikeouts with 11 walks.
After suffering a tough-luck loss against the Reds on Sept. 5, Jurrjens went 4-0 with a 0.62 ERA in his next four starts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 23-year-old hurler joined Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine as the only Braves pitchers to post that low of an ERA while winning four straight starts during Bobby Cox's managerial tenure in Atlanta.

"He ended up being our horse last year and again this year," Cox said of Jurrjens, who followed his 13-win rookie season by going 14-10 with a 2.60 ERA this year.

Jurrjens, whose ERA ranked third in the National League, allowed two earned runs or less in 26 of his 33 starts this year.

"This just gives me more reason to work harder to put up better numbers next year," Jurrjens said.

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.